Nintendo has sent out a mass-message to Wii owners to inform them of the Wii U's release, Kotaku reports.

The message was sent in an effort to inform the mass audience that the Wii U is "an all-new home console from Nintendo," according to the message, and not a mere upgrade or peripheral for the current Wii system.

"Some have the misunderstanding that Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games, and others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii. We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product," Iwata said last week.

Iwata also blamed the lack of consistent first-party titles for the Wii U's inability to gain momentum, so it'll be interesting to see where the giant goes from here.